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Sukhbir Badal meets PM Modi, talks fuel speculation over SAD-BJP ties in Punjab

Both the AAP and the Congress took potshots at the two parties over the meeting.

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, a former Ferozepur MP, was attacked in Maharashtra. (File Photo)

4 min readLudhianaAug 7, 2026 04:53 PM IST First published on: Aug 7, 2026 at 03:16 PM IST

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Parliament House in New Delhi on Friday afternoon.

Sukhbir Badal’s office did not disclose the agenda of the meeting. However, reliable sources in the SAD said the interaction was centred on issues concerning Punjab, including the state’s law-and-order situation and the alleged corruption in welfare schemes of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

“The meeting lasted for about 10 minutes, which started at around noon, and it was in a cordial environment,” said an SAD source.

The meeting assumes political significance as both the SAD and the BJP have publicly maintained that they intend to contest the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections independently. The two parties, which were long-standing allies in Punjab, parted ways in September 2020 over the issue of the now-repealed three farm laws.

“The exact agenda of the meeting is not known, but given the present political circumstances in Punjab and the positions being taken by both parties regarding the 2027 elections, the interaction is politically significant,” said a BJP insider.

The meeting also comes weeks after Modi’s July 17 visit to Punjab, during which he addressed a public rally in Jalandhar and targeted rival political parties, including the SAD.

During the rally, Modi had criticised the Shiromani Akali Dal, saying the party had become preoccupied with personal and selfish interests rather than public welfare.

The following day, during a media interaction in Chandigarh, Sukhbir Badal responded to the prime minister’s remarks by saying that Modi was referring to SAD Punarsurjit, a breakaway faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal, and not the SAD led by him.

Political buzz

Sukhbir Badal’s response generated political interest at the time, particularly because he did not directly confront the prime minister over the criticism. His interpretation of Modi’s remarks was viewed by political observers as an indication that the SAD leadership was keen to keep communication open with the BJP leadership despite the stated positions of the two parties to fight the 2027 polls separately.

Meanwhile, BJP national president Nitin Nabin indicated in June that the party had not closed all doors of communication despite deciding to contest the Punjab Assembly polls independently.

Friday’s meeting has, therefore, renewed speculation about the future political equations between the SAD and the BJP in Punjab. However, neither side has indicated any change in its stated position regarding the 2027 elections.

The meeting also comes at a time when both parties are seeking to consolidate their respective political space in Punjab, with the AAP government in the state facing criticism from the Opposition over issues ranging from law and order to governance and welfare schemes.

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Reacting to the meeting between PM Narendra Modi and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal took to X and wrote, “Na na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithe (Despite saying no, I ended up falling in love with you).

“So, is an alliance between the ‘Chanda Chor Party’ and the ‘Beadbi Party’ finally taking shape?”

On the other hand, Punjab Leader of Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa said, “I knew already that they are going to be together yet again. The BJP tried hard on its own, criticised the SAD enough, and now two big zeros are going to be together. It will hardly make any difference.”